Additional Support Needs

What are "additional support needs"?

A child or young person is said to have additional support needs if he or she is unable to benefit from school or pre-school education without help which is normally given to children or young people of the same age.

Additional support needs can arise from a variety of circumstances. These fall broadly into four categories:

The Learning environment

Family circumstances

Disability or health needs

Social or emotional factors

Additional support needs may last a short time, some may last for some months and some may last over a year. Some children will have needs that will last their whole lives.

It is very important to note that the same or similar circumstances will not always have the same effect or create the same kind of need for additional support for all children. So some children who appear to have similar problems may well be supported in very different ways.

The above is an extract from the booklet "Supporting Learning in Dundee". The full booklet can be accessed from the Support for Learning area of this website. This link will also offer access to other related documents regarding additional support needs.